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Help! I broke EVERYTHING on my girlfriends car

Discussion in 'Gen 3 Prius Care, Maintenance & Troubleshooting' started by Evan_VRM, Sep 17, 2021.

  1. Evan_VRM

    Evan_VRM New Member

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    Hey guys, sorry to be the stereotypical new member asking for help, but I need some sage wisdom badly (and have used the search tool extensively.)

    I was having the windows tinted today on our 2011 Prius Four and left the car turned on so the windows would still work. I was thinking the engine would just cycle on and off and everything would be fine. For some reason (likely that I’m not used to the Prius) I turned off all the accessories, including AC, which I think made the engine remain off even though the ignition was on.

    About 3 hours later I went back to the car and the tint guy basically said the battery died. I was surprised cause I expected the engine to be running periodically. The car wouldn’t power up, trunk wouldn’t open, lights dim, etc. The battery was dead. So I used a jump pack under the hood to get the trunk open, then hooked the jump pack to the battery and started the car.

    The engine started, and the car would move, but everything else is going haywire. Issues include:

    P Lock malfunction
    Check hybrid system
    Speedometer not working (shows 0 then briefly flashes to speed)
    AC/HVAC not working (stuck on defrost and warm)
    ABS light on
    Brake light on
    Traction control light on
    Yellow triangle on
    Dash lights take like 10 full seconds to dim when turning headlights on
    And Probably more I’m forgetting/didn’t notice

    I drove the car home ~15 minutes and the hybrid system is working- engine cycling on/off, electric motor working when engine off. The monitoring display in the center is blank, as in doesn’t show power going to/from battery or engine. but occasionally shows the traction battery as around 2/3 charged.

    I disconnected the 12v battery and put it on a charger to top it off. By that point it was already pretty well charged though. I also removed the big orange plug and white wire in the fuse box and waited a while and put them back in. Nothing changed.

    so, any suggestions of what to do now?? I was doing this as a surprise for my girlfriend while she was out of town and I have until Tuesday to get it figured out. Lol.

    thanks!
     
  2. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Your going to surprise her but maybe in a bad way. Most likely the car was not in Ready during the tint job and now your 12v battery is bad or seriously discharged. I would remove it and take it to an auto supply for a load test. $200 for a new one if it fails. I would make sure you left the fuse box intact. Hopefully you did not reverse polarity jump it to the point it won't go ready.
     
  3. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    It's the thought that counts. :)

    Once it's all sorted, I'm not expecting there will be much expensive about it, besides maybe the couple hundred for the 12 volt battery.

    You will probably have no trouble remembering the difference between ON and READY from now on.
     
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  4. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    Can you clarify this:

    I also removed the big orange plug and white wire in the fuse box and waited a while and put them back in. Nothing changed.
     
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  5. rjparker

    rjparker Tu Humilde Sirviente

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    Likely some top accessible fusible links and the white incoming battery cable.


    upload_2021-9-18_13-24-45.jpeg
     
  6. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    My reading had "big orange plug" probably being the traction battery service plug. But it never hurts to get clarification.
     
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  7. Mendel Leisk

    Mendel Leisk Senior Member

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    Hopefully not, but: tint installers spray water on the inside of the glass; has caused electrical shorts.

    As far as running the 12 volt down: is it necessary for tint installer to run window down? Even if it was, just leave the fob with him, show him the 2 pushes without foot on brake technique, and caution him to NOT leave it on, any longer than necessary?

    I really think these places should be using 12 volt maintainers btw.

    FWIW, tint installers, interior cleaners and valet parkers are notorious for doing bad things.
     
    #7 Mendel Leisk, Sep 18, 2021
    Last edited: Sep 18, 2021
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  8. Evan_VRM

    Evan_VRM New Member

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    Thanks for the input guys. To clarify: yes, I removed the traction battery service plug as well as the white wire in the engine bag fuse box shown above. I left both unplugged for 10-15 minutes, put them back, and nothing changed. No better or no worse. I did not have the traction battery plug removed the whole time the tint was being installed, just to try to get it to reset after the fact.

    Per the discussion above my plan is to remove the 12v battery and have it load tested. I really don’t think it’s still discharged though. It is at 12.7v and is an OEM Toyota battery from 2020. I also ordered a Bluetooth OBD2 dongle to pull the codes. I have an Autel OBD2 scanner but it doesn’t seem to do much.
     
  9. ChapmanF

    ChapmanF Senior Member

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    For future simplicity, there isn't anything you need to pull the orange service plug for, other than your own safety if you will be opening the battery case. It doesn't reset anything.
     
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  10. TMR-JWAP

    TMR-JWAP Senior Member

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    So, one quick question is whether the third step of the service plug installation was performed in order to satisfy the interlock. His symptoms just seemed like a service plug issue to me. It sounded like the initial problem was draining the 12v battery.
    Then compounded by the service plug removal with incorrect installation.
     
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  11. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    The only serious mistake you could have made, from what I see, would be if you reversed polarity when you jump started the car. Red to Red and Black to Black. If you swapped them... then yes, you could have caused more serious electrical damage.

    But... work the problem. First things first: Get the 12V battery tested, and either fully recharged or replaced as needed. These batteries need replacement about every five years anyway, and winter's coming up, so replacement may have been warranted anyway.
     
  12. Evan_VRM

    Evan_VRM New Member

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    Battery load tested good. I put it back in and the car is still acting the same. While I wait for my Bluetooth OBD dongle to arrive later today I tried my regular Autel scanner, and interestingly it was unable to link with the car, even though I have used it on this car in the past (with limited success).

    so, does anyone have any suggestions of what to do now? Specifically, what should I check if the Bluetooth obd2 dongle cannot link either? The car still runs and drives, and It is showing like 60% on the traction battery, it just has a Christmas tree worth of lights on the dash. This leads me to believe the ECU(s) are still getting power, but I don’t know why wouldn’t they be able to link.

    Edit: I know I am a new member on a forum and nobody will believe me, but I did NOT reverse the jumper cables when I jump started the car. I gave it power under the hood to release the trunk, and then hooked my jump pack directly to the battery. I got in the car and pressed the brake, then the start button and the lights have been on ever since.
     
  13. Evan_VRM

    Evan_VRM New Member

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    Well, it’s fixed, but I have no idea why. Here’s what happened:

    My Veepeak dongle arrived so I got in the car, plugged it in and turned the car on. While I was scrolling on my phone to download dr Prius I looked up and noticed I was down to only the “check hybrid system” message. I immediately started driving around my neighborhood and stopping every few blocks to cycle the ignition. After the 2nd or 3rd stop the car turned on exactly like normal with no warning lights, messages or other malfunctions. Again, not sure what happened but I’ll take it. Thank you to everyone who weighed in.
     
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  14. dig4dirt

    dig4dirt MoonGlow

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    The Prius is funky. That is good news to hear.
    I would keep a keen eye on that 12v, even being only 1+/- year old, once bitten, twice shy on any batt.

    Speaking of 2011 Gen 3 Prius', you or your girlfriend know or read upon the EGR possible issues yet?
    Might be something to ponder in your spare time.
    In @Mendel Leisk post above, his signature has some info, but you can read all about it in a search of the forum here,
    many posts and info about it and how to maintain.
     
  15. xliderider

    xliderider Senior Member

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    My guess is that Mendel was right, that the tint guy(s) got some extra water in somewhere that it wasn't supposed to be.

    Now, it's had sufficient time to dry out and the Check Hybid System error has been cleared by cycling through enough times without the error state present.

    Consider yourself lucky.

    Posted via the PriusChat mobile app.
     
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  16. Rebound

    Rebound Senior Member

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    New thread title: I Fixed EVERYTHING in my Girlfriend’s Car